Alexis makes his home with his grandfather and his grandmother. Carrying water, gathering firewood and caring for animals are his household duties. His grandfather is sometimes employed as a farmer and his grandmother is sometimes employed as a farmer. There are 2 children in the family.

For fun, Alexis enjoys soccer and running. He attends church activities and choir regularly and is in high school where his performance is average.

Please remember Alexis in your prayers. Your love and support will help him to receive the assistance he needs to grow and develop.

Alexis lives in the hills of Mahango, home to approximately 35,000 residents. Typical houses are constructed of dirt floors, mud walls and corrugated tin roofs. The primary ethnic group is Banyarwanda and the most commonly spoken language is Kinyarwanda.

The regional diet consists of maize, beans, bananas, sweet potatoes, sorghum (grain) and cassava. Common health problems in this area include malaria and worm infestations. Most adults in Mahango work as subsistence farmers and earn the equivalent of $10 per month. This community needs scholastic materials, tuition assistance, programs for the street children and war orphans, and employment opportunities.

Rwanda consists mainly of grassy uplands and hills that extend southeast from a chain of volcanoes in the northwest. It is divided by several rivers and has many lakes. The climate is temperate with two main annual rainy seasons.

Rwanda's culture is an anguished story of three ethnic groups inhabiting the same country: the Twa, Hutus and Tutsis. The Twa were joined by the migration of the forbearers of today's Hutus and constitute a small percentage of the population today. The Hutus were agriculturalists and thus culturally in contrast with the Tutsis, who raised livestock. Tensions between the Tutsis and Hutus became the basis for one of the most devastating civil wars and genocides in world history. Today most families live in a self-contained compound. Those with HIV/AIDS number half a million. English is the official language of Rwanda, although French and Kinyarwanda are still used. Most Rwandans are Catholics; Protestant is the second largest religion. Compassion works throughout the country.

For more than 400 years, Rwanda was ruled by a Tutsi monarchy. In 1959, Hutus gained control of the government and forced the Tutsis to flee the country. A Tutsi-led insurrection in 1990, fighting to return to their country, caused civil strife that culminated in 1994 when over one million people were killed and two million fled to neighboring countries. A new constitution was adopted in 1995, and many refugees have since returned but the country still struggles with the devastating effects of the war and genocide. In 1999, Rwanda had its first local elections installing President Maj. Gen. Paul Kagame. Kagame was reelected in 2003 and 2010.

Map of Rwanda

Child's Location: Northeast of Kibungo City

This child lives in an AIDS-affected area. In Africa, the disease has impacted the entire continent, creating a generation of orphans and vulnerable children. God can use you to help ease the pain of a child in desperate need.

Your personal information is encrypted and transmitted without risk using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.

Start Sponsoring a Child Today!

Your tax-deductible contribution of just $38 a month connects a child living in poverty with a loving, church-based Child Sponsorship Program.

Your support provides:

Medical checkups, which often save lives

Nutritious food

Health and hygiene training

Educational assistance

Access to special services like surgeries and disaster relief

Mentoring to help children discover their incredible value as God’s children

Most important of all, your sponsored child will hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God.

When you sponsor a child, you'll receive your child's photo, personal story and a child sponsorship packet by mail in approximately 10 days.

When children find out they've been sponsored, the joy they feel is indescribable. Just knowing that someone across the globe cares means more than you can imagine. Sponsoring a child in need will profoundly change the future for your child, and will change your own life as well.